Assisted_Suicide

ASSISTED SUICIDE 1 Physician Assisted Suicide Maureen Dippel PHl-103 Karan Kart October 22, 2012 ASSISTED SUICIDE 2 THEISE My thesis is about Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS). I find this subject to be very important to me. There a lot of pros and cons on the subject Physician Assisted Suicide. INTRODUCTION Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS) is perhaps the most compelling and clinically relevant mental health issue in palliative care today. The desire for death, the consideration of suicide, the interest in PAS, and the relationship of these issues to depression and other psychosocial issues appear to be a paramount importance.(Breitbart, William, MD and Rosenfeld, Barry, D.,PHD) DEFINITIONS OF ASSISTED SUICIDE Suicide accomplished with the aid of another person, especially a physician. The deliberate hastening of death by a terminally ill patient with assistance from a doctor, family member, or another individual. Assisted suicide is helping a person to end his or her life by request to end suffering. Euthanasia, is a broad, generic term meaning help with a good death.(Humphry,Derek(2006) WHERE IS IT PERMITTED In the United States assisted suicide is currently legal in the states of Oregon, Washington and Montana. Assisted suicide is specifically prohibited in many of the states including Wisconsin. ASSISTED SUICIDE 3 In 2007, major legislative attempts to legalize assisted suicide were defeated in Hawaii, Vermont and California. Some of the other countries that permit assisted suicide are, The Netherlands, Canada, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain (The Prime Minister of Spain is calling for assisted suicide to be legalized), Australia, New Zealand, Columbia and Luxembourg. OTHER COUNTRIES What is happening to elderly persons in hospitals and nursing homes has alarmed public opinion in several countries. In hundreds of cases there have been clear indications that medical personnel acted to cause or at least hasten old people’s deaths. Some of the other countries that are doing it are Britain, Austria and the Netherlands. (Fenigsen, Richard, MD, PHD). The Swiss Supreme Court recently issued a decision stating that chronically depressed and mentally ill people have the right to assisted suicide. DEPRESSION It is well known that health care professions fail to recognize depression amount of the mentally ill. In 2007, none of the forty six Oregonians who died by lethal ingestion were evaluated by a psychiatrist or a psychologist. ETHICAL ASPECTS OF PAS By making PAS available, some people will be pressured into accepting assistance in dying by their families. Some people wish to die because they are suffering from clinical ASSISTED SUICIDE 4 depression. This is another argument in for or of strict control to confirm that a patient requesting aid in dying is “of sound mind”. SHOULD IT BE PERMITTED When it is an issue that concerns human life is an important one deserving our attention and opportunities where the different perspectives may be herd. The question of PAS made legal by the government is a question of a citizen’s freedom to control when that citizen would like to end his or her life. CONCLUSION In many states here in America there has been assisted suicide even though it is illegal. I feel that is not the answer. Today with all the technological advances that doctors and hospitals use can help to make someone commutable. Opponents argue that it violates the fundamental physician duty to protect human life. (Friend, M. L., Mn.Rn). I feel if God put you here he will take you when he is ready. I do know that some religions find it to be forbidden. I have really mixed emotions on this subject. Do we really have the right to help someone to end their life or do we let them suffer' ASSISTED SUICIDE 5 REFERENCE: http://www.assistedsuicide.org/definitions Author: Derek Humphry http://www.wrtl.org/assistedsuicide http://www.hospicecare.com/Ethics/physician-assisted-suicide-htm Author: William Breibart, MD., and Barry D Rosenfeld, PHD Fordham University http://proquest.ashford.com Author: Mary Louanne Friend, MN,RN. Springer Publishing Company 2011 http://debatewise.org/debates